SBIR Phase I: Virtual Reality Platform to advance K-16 Math & Physics proficiency

SBIR 第一阶段：虚拟现实平台推进 K-16 数学

• 批准号: 2014681
• 负责人: Anurupa Ganguly
• 金额: $ 22.5万
• 依托单位: PRISMS OF REALITY INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-06-01 至 2021-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2014681&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Virtual; Reality; Platform

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will result from targeting pain points in the K-16 math and physical science curriculum to improve participation and sustained achievement in these subjects. Despite investments in education technology, curriculum overhaul, and teacher development, STEM education in the US continues to struggle to improve student proficiency, democratize access, and meet global changes in workforce demand. Current methodologies continue to promote 2D tools to teach concepts that are inherently 3D in nature, which have led to gaps in spatial reasoning and the ability to conceptualize abstractions - critical skills for success in STEM. The company seeks to develop an immersive virtual reality (VR) platform that closes these gaps in STEM proficiency, particularly for non-selective and historically underserved student populations. The aim is to shape the next generation of STEM practitioners by providing students the opportunity to creatively solve high impact real world problems in state-of-the-art interactive virtual learning environments. Ultimately, it is hoped the proposed platform will become the standard in advanced STEM learning solutions, utilizing multiple platforms (VR, AR, Mobile) and data analytics to ensure students of all backgrounds are equipped to succeed in STEM fields. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will address a key question for VR in education today - how can VR be used for the purpose of cognitive advancement in competencies and skills that serve as gate-keepers to success in postsecondary STEM? There is evidence that learning via VR increases activity, brain arousal, and engagement, but more lasting impacts on conceptual understanding and transfer have yet to be realized. The primary objective of this project is to define how core VR functionalities and multimodal interactions can be designed and implemented within a rich, problem-driven pedagogical framework to enable 3D sense making of abstract topics. The company will conduct rigorous research and iterative user testing to identify the most effective VR modalities and kinesthetic interactions that support enduring content mastery and cognitive flexibility. In addition, data analytics will be developed to enhance interactivity, provide crucial real-time formative assessment of student progress, and predictive learning insights to teachers and parents. The technology will also enable networked interactions on the platform to promote collaborative learning. In doing so, the project will not only transform the STEM learning experience, but also provide a model of how progressive pedagogical practices can be actualized through VR to drive student learning outcomes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）I阶段项目的广泛影响将是针对K-16数学和物理科学课程中的疼痛点造成的，以改善这些学科的参与并持续成就。尽管对教育技术，课程大修和教师发展进行了投资，但在美国的STEM教育仍在努力提高学生水平，民主化的访问和满足劳动力需求的全球变化。当前的方法论继续宣传2D工具，以教授本质上本质上是3D的概念，这导致空间推理的差距以及概念化抽象的能力 - 成功的STEM成功技能。该公司试图开发一个沉浸式虚拟现实（VR）平台，该平台缩小了STEM熟练程度的这些差距，尤其是对于非选择性和历史悠久的学生人群。目的是通过为学生提供机会创造性地解决最新的交互式虚拟学习环境中的高影响现实世界问题来塑造下一代STEM从业者。最终，希望该提议的平台将成为高级STEM学习解决方案的标准，利用多个平台（VR，AR，移动）和数据分析，以确保所有背景的学生都具有成功的STEM领域。这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）I阶段项目将解决当今教育中VR的一个关键问题 - 如何将VR用于认知能力和技能的认知能力，这些能力和技能是守门员在初中STEM中取得成功的守门人？有证据表明，通过VR学习会增加活动，脑唤醒和参与度，但对概念理解和转移的更持久影响尚未实现。该项目的主要目的是定义如何在丰富的，问题驱动的教学框架内设计和实现核心VR功能和多模式相互作用，从而使3D感官对抽象主题进行3D感知。 该公司将进行严格的研究和迭代用户测试，以确定最有效的VR模式和动力学相互作用，以支持持久的内容精通和认知灵活性。此外，将开发数据分析，以增强互动性，为学生进步提供至关重要的实时形成性评估以及对教师和父母的预测学习见解。该技术还将在平台上实现网络交互，以促进协作学习。 通过这样做，该项目不仅会改变STEM学习经验，而且还提供了一个模型，说明如何通过VR实现渐进的教学实践，以推动学生的学习成果。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛影响的审查标准来通过评估来获得支持的。